The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-09-23
NOS.
CONCERNING GOLD LEAF.
Methods of Manufacture Usually EmpIoyed
In the United States.


In the United States.
The extreme malleahility of gold has
made 1t prominent metal in the use
full as well as the fine arts. 1t has been
calculated that from 81, 900, 900 to S4,-
900, 900 worth of this precious metal is
annually used on ornaments, in gild-
ing, in lettering, edging of books, in
signs, ornamental paintings and in
dentistry. OF course, the greater pro-
portion of this is for the frst-named
purpose, although there appears to be
a great amount used in the other indus
tries. A comparatively small amount,
however, is necessary to cover a great
deal of space. A cubic inch can be
hammered so as to cover a space of
thirty-five feet wide and one hundred
feet long, and twenty of our twenty
dollar gold pieces can be drawn into a
wire that would reach around the
globe.
The gold-leaf beaters' art is one of
the most surprising when the result is
considered. The minute films are so
thin as hardly to retard the light, and
yet possess all the brilliancy of color
Of the solid block of gold of about
twenty-five carats. 1t is first cast into
bar eight inches long, one inch wide
and one-half inch thick, the weight
being about thirty-fve ounces, and
rolled out until it is about as thick SIS
your finger nail; the ribbons" as it
is called, are now weighed into pack
ages or ''beatings'' of p ounces each.
The beatings are what the men first
start to work on. A man will cut one
of them (of ~ ounces) into $50 pieces,
making the pieces about an inch
square. He next puts them into a
''kutch," which is made of prepared
paper, the size being q inches square.
He lays these 180 pieces of gold be-
tween these papers, first a pa
per, then a piece of gold, and
beats on the "kutch" with an
iron hammer weighing about eighteen
pounds, until the gold is the size
of the "kutch." These pieces are cut
into quarters and filled into ''shoder,"
which is made of gold-beater's skin, the
size being four inches square, and hold
ing all the pieces, numbering 740. The
gold-beater's skin is made from prep
aration of large portion Of the large
intestines of an OK, and the prepared
paper is, or may be, parchment made
from calf skin, rendered clear and
white by peculiar operation that
gives it the appearance of writing pa
per, for which purpose it is used to
some extent. The pieces are then
beaten out in the "shoder," with a
hammer weighing about thirteen
pounds, making them all four inches
square. These pieces, or "shoder
leaves" Gas they are now called), are
cut into quarters, making them two
inches square, and in all $3.50 pieces
or quarters of "shoder-leaves. " These
are filed into three molds. Each mold
is made Of the same material as the
"shoder." The molds are five inches
square and hold nine hundred pieces or
quarters of ''shoder' each.
The molds are then beaten out sepa-
rately with hammer weighing about
eight pounds until the gold is very
nearly square with the edge of the
molds. They are then sent to girls for
booking. Each girl will take "A mold
full of gold, taking each leaf out sepa-
rately and trimming the edges of the
leaf of, making them 81 inches square,
and as the leaves are cut they are put
into paper book holding twenty-five
leaves. The gold is now ready for
sale.-AnIeT'tcd71 Wood Worker.